Georgia Division of Family and Children Services

Connected By 21 (CB21)

Presented by:

Dianne Kelly, MS, LPC, Foster Care Services Director &

Nia I. Cantey, MSW, Ph.D., ILP Program Manager

July 28,2015

Director Bobby D. Cagle

Happy Birthday!

AGENDA Georgia Independent Living Program Past Present Future

Current Data Snapshot

CONNECTED BY 21 (CB21)

Division of Family and Children Services

CB21 is a plan within the 2014-2019 Child and Family Services Plan with the goal of ensuring that emancipated youth have the same building blocks for success in family, work, life that are generally afforded to their peers in intact families. • Goal: To create comprehensive, developmentally

appropriate extended youth support program for emancipated youth up to age 21 years which is distinctively different from 0 to 18 Foster Care yet contains all components –permanency planning, RBWO, IL services and judicial oversight.

CONNECTED BY 21 (CB21)

Division of Family and Children Services

CB 21 (Full Implementation By 2019)

Key Components • Life Coaching

– Education – Health – Employment – WTLP

• Housing – Approved – Non-Approved/Non-

traditional

• Connections/Permanency • Financial Literacy /Saving • Material Resources

Youth Responsibilities • In-School • Working • Participating in a

employment program • Incapable work , school

participation • Actively involved in the

Key Components

5

Georgia ILP The Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP), including the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program, provides supports and services to youth who are likely to age out of foster care and to those young adults ages 18 – 21 who have left foster care. The mission of Independent Living Program (ILP) is to provide eligible youth with opportunities to successfully prepare for adulthood through appropriate referral resources and connections provided by community partners.

Division of Family and Children Services

1. Help youth likely to remain in foster care until age 18 transition to self-sufficiency by providing services;

2. Help youth likely to remain in foster care until age 18 receive the education, training, and services necessary to obtain employment;

3. Help youth likely to remain in foster care until age 18 prepare for and enter post- secondary training and educational institutions;

4. Provide personal and emotional support to youth aging out of foster care through mentors and the promotion of interactions with dedicated adults;

5. Provide financial, housing, counseling, employment, education, and other appropriate support and services to former foster care recipients between 18 and 21 years of age to complement their own efforts to achieve self-sufficiency and to assure that program participants recognize and accept their personal responsibility for preparing for and then making the transition into adulthood;

6. Make available vouchers for education and training, including postsecondary education, to youth who have aged out of foster care;

7. Provide services to youth who, after attaining 16 years of age, have left foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption; and

8. Ensure children who are likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of age have regular, on-going opportunities to engage in age or developmentally-appropriate activities as defined in section 475(11) of the Act.

Chafee ILP Purposes

Georgia ILP Goals Educated

Connected

Healthy

Housed Employed

Safe

Stable

Intact Families

18 Years

216 Months

939 Weeks

6,574 Days

157,776 Hours

Time To Prepare Adolescents in Care

Intact Families FC ILP-14+

18 Years 4 Years

216 Months 48 months

939 Weeks 209 Weeks

6,574 Days 1,461 Days

157,776 Hours 35,064 Hours

Time To Prepare Adolescents in Care

Time To Prepare Adolescents in Care

Intact Families FC ILP-14+ Average Time In Care 14-17 Years

18 Years 4 Years About 2 Years

216 Months 48 months 21.47 Months

939 Weeks 209 Weeks 94 Weeks

6,574 Days 1,461 Days 658 Days

157,776 Hours 35,064 Hours 15,792 Hours

GA ILP Key Service Points • Eligibility Age 14 years and up

– 6 Months In Care – Exited Care Prior ILP Eligible – Youth enrolled upon

eligibility • Served Up to Age 21

– Extensions require a waiver – Fiscal support can extend to

age 25 • TeenWork Internship Program • Money Matters

– Credit Checks – IDA

• One ILS in Each Region – Two in Region 3 & 14

• National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD)

• TRTs • Casey Life Skills Assessment

– Foundation of the Written Transitional Living Plan

• CPA / CCI Providers – ILP/TLP – Majority of Placements – Skills Development

• GYOI-MAAC – EmpowerMEnt

GA ILP Key Service Points • Major Events

– Celebration of Excellence / Higher Education Institute

– Dress for Success – Teens R 4 Me – Youth on The Move – GCAPP Conference

ILP: BY THE NUMBERS

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Current Data Snapshot Regional Populations Region Ages14 to 17 18 and Over Total

1 189 21 2102 110 16 1263 316 39 3554 178 39 2175 191 26 2176 133 27 1607 54 5 598 116 21 1379 53 3 5610 92 25 11711 146 17 16312 118 24 14213 269 73 34214 318 146 464

Total 2283 482 2765

PLACEMENT_TYPE Ages 14 to 17 Ages 18 and Over Total

Adoptive Home 27 0 27Child Care Institution 1091 269 1360CPA Family Foster Home 340 111 451DFCS Family Foster Home 233 33 266Hospital 46 2 48Parent 43 3 46Relative - Paid 116 7 123Relative - Unpaid 112 8 120Relative Foster Home 0 1 1Runaway 62 2 64Specialized Foster Home 3 1 4YDC/RYDC 42 0 42Total 2283 482 2765

Current Placements

Permanency Plans Ages 14 to 17 Missing 194 Adoption 393 Long Term FC 77 Guardianship 250 Emancipation 304 Living With Fit Relative 42 Reunification 1023 Total 2283

OUR ISSUE:

Learning to live independently is a lifelong process. For most children, the early stages of this process take place as part of growing up in a family. In the family setting, children receive continuous economic and emotional support from nurturing parents as they make the transitions from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to adulthood.

How do we successfully help older youth in care make a successful transition to adulthood?

Duration: 18 years 18 years 216 months 939 weeks 1 days 6,574 days 157,776 hours 9,466,560 minutes 567,993,600 seconds

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23

Youth Survey Data (n=81)

24

38%

36%

26%

Do you plan to continue to remain in care until you are 21 years old?

Yes

No

Unsure

Youth Survey Data

25

18%

24%

11%

24%

5%

18%

If no, where do you plan to live?

On-campus housing at college/university

With my birth family

With my current/past foster family

My own apartment

With a roommate in an apartment

Other

Survey Data Youth response for reasons why foster children leave foster care when they turn 18 years old: • Desire to return to their

biological family • Did not have a pleasant

experience in foster care such as being treated unfairly in foster homes

• No privacy while in foster care

• Not being able to explore their independence (being treated like a little kid)

• Seeking freedom

• Feel as if they are an adult • Dissatisfied with the rules at

the group home and the constant changes

• Believe that they are self-sufficient

• Too many restrictions in foster care

• Seek other relationships that involve drugs and gangs

• Lack of support from DFCS staff

• Lack normalcy such as hanging out with friends

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Survey Data Youth response for things that DFCS can do differently to help other youth stay in foster care until 21 years old: • Provide a better understanding of

responsibilities in regards to residing own their own

• Provide some freedoms to allow them to visit friends

• Provide them phones in order for them to contact DFCS case manager or family in case of emergency

• Provide assistance for youth to stay in different programs

• Provide youth more opportunities to display self-responsibility

• Provide opportunities to work on their individual goals

• Allow them to remain with their family of origin (no removals)

• Provide financial assistance for college • Encourage the youth more to stay in

the foster care system • Provide services and assistance timely • Educate the youth regarding the

benefits of remaining in foster care • Allow the youth to have a voice in the

planning process • Show that DFCS and stakeholders care

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ILP Nationally: Lessons Learned Since 1999

1. Permanence is vital for youth. 2. Young people must be served from a youth development and

developmentally appropriate perspective. 3. Young people must be engaged in planning for their futures and

advocacy. 4. Independent living programs have not been successful in

preparing young people in foster care for adulthood. 5. Young people currently and formerly in foster care need to build

financial resources and assets. 6. Data must be available to track outcomes and drive decisions. 7. Partnerships and resources are essential in achieving positive

outcomes for youth. (Link/leverage ideas and money.) 8. Public policy and public will are critical elements. 9. Court involvement is crucial.

Chafee Plus Ten: A Vision for the Next Decade, The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, April 2010

• Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Review: June 2006“How Georgia Can Better Prepare Foster Youth for Productive Lives”

• Georgia’s Plan for Preparing Youth for Adulthood--January 2008

• MAYOI-EmpowerMEnt: Building Capacity for Youth Aging Out of Care--Summer 2010

• 2013- ILP Refresh

ILP : In Transition

ILP: Refresh Progress • ThinkTank-2013 • Opt Out vs Opt In • UGA—managing the

ETV Program • Vendor Selected to

manage workshops statewide

• Credit Checks Annually for youth 16 and up (14 + beginning in Sept 15)

• Life Coach Training for RBWO Providers

• NYTD • Improved fiscal

accountability • Developed New

Marketing Collaterals

ILP: Refresh Next Steps • CB 21 Project Plan Execution • Core Standards of Practice

– ILP Curriculum

• ILC-ILS to Life Coaches – More time to work with youth

• 17 + • Permanency/Connections

Focus • Partnerships with CCIs • Normalcy • Staff / Provider Training

• Re-Branding – Project WE – Re-Launch ILP Website

• Youth Engagement – EmpowerMEnt

• Tribes • Youth Rights/Grievance

Implementation

• Increased Housing Options – Kickstart Program

• AHA / Columbus HA

• TeenWork-piloting 9 month jobs • CRRU

– Specialized Recruitment Efforts – Caregiver Training / AFPAG

• OPM – Joint Memo with DJJ – Monitor/Support w DJJ / Dual-Youth – Development of ILP/TLP Placements – Revamp of Life Coach Training – Host Homes – GCAPP

• PRO Team – DD / MF Youth – Tracking PRTF Placements

Georgia ILP

S W

O T

Strengths

Leadership / Vision Forward Partners / Stakeholders Refresh Effort/ Accomplishments CB21

Weaknesses

ILP Turnover Staff Training/Roles/Expectations Lack of Connection with CCIs Permanency/Connectedness DD/MF/PRTF/PP/CSEC services NYTD

Opportunities

EmpowerMEnt Youth Rights/RPPS Title IV-E Funding Brain Science

Threats

Availability of Resources Statewide Fiscal Operations

An Informed Path Forward: Lessons Learned

Authentic youth engagement benefits everyone.

Purposeful youth preparation for independent living must be an

integral expectation of our placement caregivers.

Purposeful independent living preparation cannot begin at age

14 years.

Government is not a good substitute for a family; permanency achievement in whatever form is

possible and best, must be embedded into ILP and continually

be sought as vigorously as for younger children in care.

Each youth needs an individualized plan; ILP eligibility

spans 13 years (14-26 years). WTLP must be based on Individual

factor’s -- age, development, family support, educational

obtainment, personal factors.

Partnerships with stakeholders are critical; success cannot be

achieved in isolation.

Fiscal and programmatic operations must be in sync.

Youth needs are not all predictable; the program must be

flexible.

The program must be able to serve youth in metro and rural areas as equitably as possible.

Georgia ILP Goals Educated

Connected

Healthy

Housed Employed

Safe

Stable

QUESTIONS